Establishment and promotion of new approachesand tools for the strengthening of primary sector'scompetitiveness and innovation in the South East Europe

Regional Agency for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises, Alma Mons Ltd

BACKGROUND:

The Agency was founded in 2001 as limited liability joint stock Company with the non-profit character. According to the property structure of the founders, the Agency is a public-private partnership. The founding members of the Agency are 23 the most prominent institutions and organizations of AP Vojvodina.

The establishment of the Agency came as a result of the supporting approach undertaken by German Agency for Technical Co-Operation (GTZ), UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services) Office in Belgrade, through the “City-to-City Programme” and Municipality of Modena.

AIMS:

Mission of the Agency is to create conditions, opportunities and facilities for full and adequate accessing the formal economic circuit by the SME sector and other disadvantaged social strata of the local population in the Region, which will, through the integrated development of local resources and potentials and concentrated efforts of local actors, promote the sustainable economic development of the Region. According to its Business plan, the business objectives of Alma Mons are structured in the following way:

Availability of business services, information and support to SMEs in the Region

Provision of services to local authorities and other actors in the process of economic development planning at the municipal, regional and provincial levels

Provision of services to potential foreign/international institutions and organizations, as a part of orchestrated efforts to raise the investment attractiveness of the Region and the Province.

SERVICES TO SME AND ENTREPRENEURS:

Non-financial services to SMEE:

Organization of wide range of directsupportservices to SME andpotentialentrepreneurs in order to facilitatetheiraccessinto a formaleconomiccircuit:

Information

Consultancy

Training (SME, start-ups, underpr. s.strata)

Orientation training for entrepreneurs to be

Thematic courses

Mentoring

Business planelaboration

Financial services to SMEE:

Guarantee fund “City to City” of South Bačka RegionProvision of expertise to the establishment (organizational and procedural aspects) to the Guarantee Fund for South Bačka established by NLB Continental Bank, UNOPS/UNDP and Alma Mons and technical support (information, consultancy and elaboration of business plan) to clients-applicants of the Fund (SMEEs, farmers, start-ups andunderprivileged groups - refugees, IDPs, minorities, femaleentrepreneurs)

Facilitation of the access to the financial resources

Guarantee Fund of Vojvodina – «Women's Entrepreneurship» project(thisfinancial instrument granted Award of Council of Europe in 2008) Provision of technical support i.e. the revision of applicants’ business plans

Start-up loans (through Republic agency for SME)Provision of technical support (information, consultancy and elaboration of business plan, application collection) to the applicants

One stop shopTechnical support in establishment of one-stop-shop for investors in Municipality of Bečej

ClusteringinitiativeSupport to the SMEE aiming at enhancing its competitiveness by creation of clusters-Cluster of agriculture machines producers- Spa cluster- Cluster on agro-tourism and eco-production- Vojvodina ICT cluster

BIPDevelopment of YouthEntrepreneurship in Serbia

Publishingactivities (business guides, sectoral feasibility studies)

Promotional activities

Events (conferences, round tables...)

Internet site www. almamons.rs

Organization of joint participation at the fairs

International contact pointAlma Mons has attracted attention of more than 50 international operators working in Serbia and involved the most important public and private actors engaged in economic development into different forms of cooperation

Member of Ecopanonia, Cluster for Ecological Energy and Ecological Culture

COOPERATION PROFILE:

Cooperation in the next key sectors:

Health

Agro – food

Bio-technology

Nautical sector and logistics

ICT

Renewable energy

EU networking

Development of business and innovation system

Elaboration of local and regional socio - economic and innovation strategy

Clustering

CONTACT US:

Regional Agency for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises, Alma Mons LtdSvetosavska 3a,21 000 Novi Sad,Serbia+381 21 428 822This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.www.almamons.rs

Latest News

2 years project: the results achieved through the cooperation among the App4Inno 16 partners, SMEs, companies and institutions of agricultural field in order to support competitiveness and use the innovation potential of agricultural SMEs across South East Europe.

The objective of the project Final Conference is to disseminate the outcomes of the project and share the knowledge developed throughout the two years of its duration. The aim is to provide results and ideas about innovation achieved in the APP4INNO project with policy decision makers and all people involved in the project through pilots and dissemination activities.